He bent forward and placed the blade on the carpet by his feet. Winter couldn’t help himself and caught a close-up of the black-handled knife as it settled into the white carpet, the remainder of the blood drenching the fibres.

Cairns sat back and they could all see that his shirt was as soaked as McCormack’s. The other man’s blood was all over him, drenching his hands and splattering his face and streaking his beard. He leaned against the white leather behind him, breathing hard as if relieved. His work was done.

‘Tell us what happened, Douglas.’

His face screwed up in bemusement as if she’d asked why the sky was blue or why five followed six.

‘I know what you’re thinking,’ he replied at last. ‘Have I killed him because he fucked my wife or because he killed her? Or because you let him go free and I was scared he’d get off in court? I’m right, aren’t I?’

She answered for all of them. ‘You’re right, Mr Cairns. I was wondering that and I do want to know why you killed him. But first I need to read you your rights. Douglas Cairns, I am arresting you for the murder of David McCormack. You do not have to say anything but anything you do say may be noted in evidence. Do you understand?’

‘I do.’

‘So what’s the answer?’

He laughed. A high-pitched, highly stressed laugh that didn’t suit him. ‘I don’t know. I really don’t know. All of it? Because he fucked her, because he betrayed me, humiliated me. Because as angry at her as I have been since I found out, I loved her and he killed her. He admitted it was no accident. He admitted all of it.’

Narey and Addison looked at each other, hoping and fearing in equal measure. She had Cairns’ attention though and she spoke for both.

‘We only have your word for that, Mr Cairns.’

The man smiled weakly and picked up the mobile phone by his side and held it in front of him. ‘I recorded it all on this. I made him confess.’

‘With a knife to his throat?’

‘Yes. But it’s the truth. He was too scared to lie. He killed my wife then he killed two men to cover it up. I didn’t know anything about them but he told me anyway. It spilled out of him like . . .’

Cairns faltered, staring at his business partner’s body, seeing the blood that was everywhere but where it should have been. His mouth jammed, lips trembling. The reality of it had suddenly bitten him hard. Unable to work words that would make any sense, he pushed one button on his phone, waited a few moments, then pushed another. McCormack’s voice filled the room.

‘. . . I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t mean to do it! I was terrified, Douglas. Terrified. The boy was asking too many questions and I didn’t know what he knew. Didn’t know what he could tell the police. I arranged to meet him and . . . It just happened. I couldn’t have it all come out. Jesus Christ, Douglas, I didn’t want any of this! You have to understand!’

Cairns pressed the button again and McCormack stopped talking as surely as if his throat had been cut.

‘He thought I might let him live if he told me it all. I couldn’t do that though. I couldn’t. He disgusted me. He . . . he betrayed me.’

‘You did this? You killed him? I need you to confirm that, Mr Cairns.’

‘Yes. I killed him. I meant to kill him. I’m glad I killed him. I did it alone. I came here intending to kill him. Is that enough? I won’t deny any of this if that’s what you’re worried about. I killed him.’

Narey nodded, rarely unhappier at getting confirmation of what she needed to know.

‘You need to come with us now, Mr Cairns. You know that, don’t you?’

He smiled at her and let his head bob in agreement. He made as if to push himself up from the sofa but let his hands slide off the leather and made a grab at the floor where the bloodied knife still lay. He managed to grasp the handle and turned it towards himself. He got as far as lining it up with his heart when Addison swung a boot viciously into his ribs and caused his arms to drop. The two constables were on him in a second and his wrists were twisted until the knife fell from his grasp.

‘Don’t touch the handle!’ Narey shouted. ‘Just get him away from it.’

She stood above Cairns, seeing the fight drain from him. He had no interest in hurting any of them, just himself. With that chance gone, he’d collapsed.

Addison stood by her side, shaking his head at the stupidity of it all. He turned to Winter who was standing a few feet away with his camera in his hands. ‘Did you get that?’

‘Every frame.’

Chapter 60

Monday morning

Winter was on one side of the table; on the other sat Two Soups Baxter and a blonde-haired woman in her early thirties who said she was from Human Resources. There didn’t seem to be a whole lot human about her though. Winter wasn’t convinced that she wasn’t some form of advanced robot with fake tan, peroxide hair and a designer business suit. He dismissed the idea on the basis that a robot would exhibit more intelligence and certainly more emotion than the HR woman.

She was doing most of the talking; Baxter just sat smirking behind his whiskers. The fat bastard was clearly loving every moment of it. He was getting what he’d wanted since the day Winter started on the job.

The woman was using words like expediency and streamlining, efficiency and lean, needs and excess. Winter wasn’t really listening: he already knew what the bottom line was and just wanted her to get there. He was out. It was cost-cutting but it was also just that his face didn’t fit any more. Perhaps it never had. Specialty was always going to take a distant second place to multi-tasking when accountants ran the world. Why pay two people to do two jobs when you can pay one person to do both?

Now she was thanking him, actually thanking him, for his service. He wondered if she was allowed to deviate from her script at all, if she even knew what she was saying. Gratitude and regret were thrown into the same sentence as if they were compatible when it seemed to him that they weren’t. If they were so grateful for what he’d done and so sorry to let him go then don’t do it.

He had to sign a compromise agreement as part of the settlement, basically saying that he wouldn’t tell anyone where the bodies were buried. Neither the literal ones nor the metaphorical. In return he got a year’s salary and a pat on the head before they slammed the door in his face.

‘I imagine you will want time to consider and have this agreement seen by a solicitor but I must tell you that you have four days to decide whether to accept this offer or else it will be withdrawn and replaced by another, likely lower, offer of redundancy.’

Winter laughed, his eyes on Baxter rather than the woman from Inhuman Resources. ‘Four days? I don’t think I’ll need that long. Have you got a pen?’

Baxter’s jowl wobbled as he seemed to struggle in choosing between delight and surprise. The HR woman’s eyes widened and her mouth bobbed open but she composed herself enough to push a silver pen across the desk. Winter picked it up, gave a cursory glance at the page in front of him and signed his name at the bottom. He shoved the paper back across the table and lobbed the pen towards Baxter who fumbled but caught it at the second attempt.

Winter smiled at Baxter for long enough to make him uncomfortable, nodded at both of them and turned on his heels and walked out of Forensic Services for the last time.